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Father of Environmental Justice

Let justice roll down like waters , and righteousness as an everflowing stream. (Amos 5:24)

I lifted up these words from the prophet Amos during a speech I gave years ago while serving as President of the National Farmworker Ministry. I was making the connection between the working conditions and environmental health of farmworkers exposed to dangerous levels of pesticides. So too, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was making these connections decades earlier during the days immediately before his death as he was marching in the streets with the sanitation workers of Memphis, TN.  Dr. King took an all inclusive view of issues that some wanted to put into isolated boxes. In that vein, "environmental health" can be framed in ways that broaden collaboration across faiths, economic class, and race, just as he did. 

As Dr. King said, “We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” Communities of faith bring a moral voice that upholds life in all its forms, broadening our perspective to view the whole Creation as members of the family of God, and our neighborhoods as tied to the whole environment in a network of mutuality. We need to build relationships that are based upon this premise of our faith that we are not separate from one another or the natural world, but live in a sustainable web of interdependence. A task force of pastors, rabbi's, and impacted community members created this Moral Case for Environmental Justice to guide you and your congregations in prayerful consideration of what's happening in terms of injustices here in Maryland and how you can bring to bear the faith voice on these issues. For more information on environmental justice issues in the 2017 Maryland legislative session, click HERE.  

Martin Luther King, Jr. has been referred to as the "father of environmental justice." This may come as a surprise to some of us in the environmental movement. Looking more closely at the history of his life and mission during the civil rights movement, we can see that he laid the groundwork for connecting the real environmental conditions in which people live and work as a cause for justice. In this overview of the environmental justice (EJ) movement "What is Environmental Justice?" we read:   

Civil Rights leaders like Dr. King fought for all people to have safe places to live, learn, work, play, and pray—with the knowledge that access to these rights was not equal. The American environmental justice movement continues this legacy, guided in major part by Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act...  Read full text here.  

Environmental justice also includes health issues impacting our daily life: housing, the air you breathe, the water you drink (or baptize or cleanse with) and the impact these have on our children. The health of the water and it's direct impact on people's lives has largely not been "front and center" in much of faith-based organizing. If we use a "watershed lens" with which to view the environmental justice aspects of our work at IPC, then we can see that projects we advocate for support the long term environmental and physical health of present and future generations of -- human and biotic -- communities of God's beautiful Creation. 

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Introducing Anna Awimbo
IPC is proud to welcome our new Program Manager, Anna Awimbo. She is an expert on issues related to the impact of technological and cultural changes on the environment, economy and society. She has more than 20 years of experience identifying and developing effective alternative systems to address climate change, poverty, and unemployment. She most recently directed the Collaborative Communities Program at the Center for a New American Dream where she designed and coordinated their trainings focused on greening communities, creating sharing systems and supporting local economies.  In her free time, Anna enjoys volunteering at her children’s school in Maryland where she has led efforts to launch a green neighborhood initiative and build an outdoor classroom and garden.  She received her undergraduate degree in Economics from St. Lawrence University and her MBA from George Washington University. You can reach Anna via email at [email protected].

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Sweet Success!
Congratulations to our partner Congregations who have just learned they will be recipients of Chesapeake Bay Trust Grants!!! Contact us to see how your congregation could join this list next time. 

• Catonsville Presbyterian Church – CBT Watershed Assistance Grant (Design) – Covenantal Partners Program
• People’s Community Lutheran Church – CBT Watershed Assistance Grant (Design) – Blue Water Congregation
• The Episcopal Church of the Holy Covenant – CBT Watershed Restoration Grant (Implementation) – Blue Water Congregation
• Govan’s Presbyterian Church – CBT Watershed Restoration Grant (Implementation) – Blue Water Congregation
• St. David’s Episcopal Church – CBT Watershed Assistance Grant (Design) – Blue Water Congregation
• St. Vincent Du Paul’s Catholic Church – CBT Watershed Assistance Grant – Blue Water Congregation
• Christ the King Episcopal Church – CBT Community Engagement & Outreach Mini-Grant – Blue Water Congregation-project installed

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2017 Maryland Legislative Session
The Maryland legislative session begins this week, and your state representatives will be making decisions on major policies:

• Ban on Fracking
• Overriding Gov. Hogan's Veto of the Renewal Portfolio Stands
• Restrictions on Antibiotics Use in Agriculture
• Ban on Foam Products

Learn more about these bills and their connection to our faith teachings on our Advocacy Cheat Sheet on our website (or, from our home page, just click on the "Advocacy" button at the top).  We will update this cheat sheet throughout the next 3 months while legislature is in session, so check back often for new developments. 

Would you like to come hear about these bills from advocacy organizations leading the effort? Join us at the Environmental Legislative Summit on Jan. 26th, 4-6 pm at the Maryland Statehouse. Please RSVP to [email protected] if you'd like to attend. 

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Sunday School or Vacation Bible School Program on Water - Prince George's County

A FREE training and curriculum for a Vacation Bible School (VBS) or Sunday School program will be offered to churches in Prince George's County, through a grant provided by Chesapeake Bay Trust and the PG County Department of Environment! Our program offers, for free:

• water-themed curriculum for 5 separate activities with materials
• training for your lead teachers, including a boat ride on the Anacostia for an in-depth experience of the content you'll be teaching
• pre-printed banner to hang outside and advertise your program
• one-on-one support for your team to help you succeed in putting on the program for your youth
• participating congregations will receive a 25% discount off their Clean Water Fee since this satisfies the educational requirement 
• More information on this flyer
• Click HERE to register for the workshops

We only have 6 spots left. Already, Fort Washington Baptist Church, Walker Mill Baptist Church, Jerusalem AME and Richie Baptist Church have signed up! Email [email protected] to hold your spot!